The present invention generally relates to an assembly for storing and displaying products while they are being merchandised in a retail outlet or the like. More particularly, the merchandiser assembly according to the present invention is structured to store merchandise products on shelves from which purchasers can select and remove one or more of the products from the merchandiser assembly. The merchandiser assembly maintains the products in a generally horizontally stacked orientation in a manner by which the front of the stack of products is automatically maintained in the front of the merchandiser assembly even after a product that had been in the front of the merchandiser assembly has been removed.
In the retail sales industry, there is often a need to display a supply of products for selection and purchase by consumers. Various display cases, racks, hangers, open shelves and the like have been used for this purpose. Sometimes these storage and display devices are at room temperature, and in other instances they are under refrigeration, either in open cases or compartments or behind temperature barriers such as glass doors.
Certain problems are generally common to these types of merchandising display facilities. Because it is desired to avoid selling products that have been warehoused, stored and displayed for extended periods of time, it is desirable to ensure that the products that are in stock are rotated in a manner whereby the oldest product stock is toward the front of the shelf or the like, which requires in most circumstances that the fresher or newer stock must be placed behind the older stock. In most instances, achieving this desirable stock rotation requires removal of the older products on the front of the shelf or pegboard or the like or on top of the stack of products or the like in order that the newer stock can be placed behind or under these older stocks. This is, of course, a very time-consuming operation and is often very labor intensive and thus can be quite expensive. There can be a tendency for this desirable practice of stock rotation to be substantially ignored or practiced only to a limited extent.
Another problem with many product merchandisers is the need to "face" them after consumers have removed the front products from the display unit. This problem is particularly evident for items that are stored and displayed on generally horizontal shelves. Often these shelves can be quite deep, and if the products are not manually moved toward the front, or face, of the shelf, the products will not be properly displayed to the customers in order to achieve desired merchandising and marketing effects, such as the prominent display of a famous or well-promoted label and/or brand name or the like.
Another matter associated with product merchandiser devices that requires some attention is the desirability to maintain the merchandiser unit in an organized fashion so that it presents an orderly and attractive appearance. Merchandiser devices such as pegbar units which suspend packaged products at a generally fixed location tend to positively respond to this objective in that pegbar units tend to present a more organized appearance than when products are stored on an open shelf or in stacks. In the latter instances, products can become misaligned from their desired location on the shelf or stack and thereby become improperly placed with respect to product and price identifiers or other point of purchase materials. Another aspect of desirable shelf organization is to have the individual products aligned in neat rows or the like, which can require some labor-intensive attention at various times.
It has been found that, by proceeding in accordance with the present invention, it is possible to provide a product merchandiser that greatly facilitates stock rotation, that is self-facing, and that automatically maintains an organized and properly positioned stock of products. In addition, the present invention can be utilized in order to hold relatively flat packages in a generally upright or on-edge orientation in order to create a display that is visibly pleasing and also that prominently displays packaging designs, graphics, product vignettes, brand names and the like. The invention is particularly useful for displaying and merchandising packaged food products.
In summary, the present invention is a merchandiser assembly of the type that will store stocks of products and will display those products to consumers or the like. The merchandiser assembly has a basic shelf structure. Included is a track assembly that is generally horizontally positioned. A product tray member holds and supports a stock of products that are generally horizontally stacked alongside one another. The product tray member is slidably engaged with the track assembly so that the product tray member can be slid away from the track assembly. An upstanding product follower is slidably mounted onto the product tray member in a manner whereby the follower moves longitudinally within the product tray member. The product follower member is biased in a forward direction, and it follows the horizontal stack of products toward the front of the merchandiser assembly when a product is removed from the front of the product tray member. In addition, when the product tray member is slidably extended forwardly, a fill mode is provided whereby the upstanding product follower member does not move beyond the front of the track member in order to thereby form a stocking space between the upstanding follower member and whatever products might be in the front portion of the product tray member.
It is a general object of the present invention to provide an improved assembly for merchandising products, especially consumer products.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved product merchandiser assembly that facilitates stock rotation, that is self-facing, and that improves shelf organization.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved product merchandiser assembly that reduces the time needed to maintain merchandising shelves that exhibit extremely desirable marketing attributes.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved product merchandiser assembly that holds packaged products in an upright position in order to create visually superior and pleasing displays of the packaged products.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved product merchandiser assembly that effects automatic facing of products stored therein and merchandised thereby.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved merchandiser assembly that is especially useful for marketing and selling packaged cold meat products and the like that are organized in a generally shelf-like orientation.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved merchandiser assembly that is durable and re-usable.
These and other objects, features and advantages of this invention will be clearly understood through a consideration of the following detailed description.